From the Beginning
by dirtydancinfan
Summary: A story about Triple H and Stephanie. The premises of this story is pretty much going to take place from right before the time she was set to marry Test. Where in my opinion her entire relationship with Hunter started.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: This is actually the first story that I have written about Triple H and Stephanie. The premises of this story is pretty much going to take place from right before the time she was set to marry Test. Where in my opinion her entire relationship with Hunter started. I wanted to show the ins and outs of it. The time that they had with her father and his mass confusion about them being together, the stuff with Chyna and everything else in-between. I hope that you all enjoy. This is going to be a work in progress. It might switch throughout the story from Stephanie's perspective to Hunter's. I'm not really sure how it is going to turn out but I hope that at the end of it it turns out the way that I want it to.

Stephanie sat slowly looking at the monitor. Wrestling had always been in her blood. It had been the most important thing in her life. That was something that she established as a child. Not because her father owned it or because he made her believe that, but because she wanted to believe in it. From the time that she was three wrestling was always apart of her life. No matter where she went or what she did the business was there. As she got older she realized that she wanted to be in the limelight. She wanted to be a real part of the business that her father loved so much. That's how this entire storyline started. Stephanie was scheduled to marry Andrew Martin the next night on Raw. She wasn't nervous about the whole wedding thing. It had been planned for a few months. What she was nervous about was what was really going to happen at that wedding. It was already taped, ready to go. That wasn't the hard part. She stared over at the wedding dress that was sitting on a rack. That was going to be the dress that she was going to walk down the aisle with. She slowly walked over and traced her fingers over the fabric looking back at the monitor. "Triple H." She sighed to herself as she looked over at the frozen shot of them on the screen together. He was going to be the one she was going to be thrown into a storyline with. He was the one that was going to "drug her and marry her" the night before he wedding. Triple H. A man that she has only talked to once in her life. How was this supposed to play out? She sighed softly grabbing the dress from the rack before she walked out the door. Her mind wasn't wrapped around what she was doing when she walked right into someone. The dress went to the ground just as she did.

"Are you okay Stephanie?" The man looked at her.

"Yea fine, you should..." She scoffed a bit but stopped what she was about to say as she saw who it was. "Sorry Paul. I wasn't paying attention." She sighed as she reached down to get the dress, his hands instantly met hers.

"Not your fault. And call me Hunter. I mean we are supposed to be married right?" He looked at her with somewhat of a smile. "What is that your wedding dress?" He continued.

She couldn't help but look down his hand and the ring that was now placed on his ring finger. "Yeah my dress." She stumbled a bit on what she was saying.

He saw her eyes and knew what she was looking at. "I figured that I might as well get used to wearing it. It's not only practice for storyline purposed but when I finally get down to say my Ido's" He smiled as he looked at her.

"I should be going." She said as she gathered her things together and quickly made her way to her car leaving him stand there alone. He was wearing the wedding ring. Just seeing that almost made her heart skip a beat. She knew that he was going to have to wear it on the show but wearing it outside it nearly took her breath away. It was all starting to seem so real to her and it was making her nervous. She couldn't back out now. How would she explain that? Maybe she could just try and talk her dad out of it. Make him think that he was the one changing it. No that wouldn't work. Hunter and Joanie were the ones that went with the idea after Vince Russo left. There was no way that she was getting out of it now. She took a deep breath and pulled out of the parking lot. "Steph, its not like you have to see him outside of work. You do your part and get over it. The storyline isn't going to last forever." She reassured herself taking a calming breath as the words formed from her mouth. "Everything will be fine." She nodded as she drove off.

The day was finally here. Between all the work and planning the time was here quicker than you can imagine and she was standing at the top of the ramp getting ready to walk down the aisle. The music played, the fans where there. It was everything that a person could ever picture their wedding being. She had to admitted staged or not the wedding that was just a ploy was one that she wished for herself. Her eyes gazed into Andrew's as the couple on the stage sang the words to Together. "Together, our love will last forever." She heard in her ears over and over. She smiled a bit trying to remain calm. "Should there be anyone who has cause why this couple should not be united in marriage, they must speak now or forever hold their peace." The minster said. Stephanie took a deep breath knowing what was about to happen next.

"1-2 this on. Ha Yo Jimmy hit me with that Triple H." It was him, just like it was planned. Stephanie looked back at the music playing on the titontron and back at Andrew. He started to speak as the video played on. She held her breath. "Let's get a shot of the brand new Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley." That was it. There was no turning back. There was no asking her father to forget about all of this. It was in the books and Steph new it. "Now Vince as a member of the immediate family." She looked up at him and saw the ring. The one that the King just The same ring she saw yesterday. The same one that made her try and rethink all of this. "I know you could only have one question on your mind DAD." Stephanie looked up at him tears coming out of her eyes. She was not sure if she was doing all of the act or if they were really coming but she could feel the tears. "Not did we but how many times did we consummate the marriage." She held onto her father crying her eyes out. The entire thing was a lot more trying then she thought it would be. After the show was over she made her way to the back still wearing the wedding dress, still with the tear stained eyes.

"Stephanie I know that you didn't want to be a part of all of this. You can kinda tell by the look in your eyes, and if you want to back out of it. We can do whatever you want. I am fine with it." Hunter looked at her as he handed her a tissue. "I will go to your dad. We will figure something out.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I will be fine. Honestly it's just the emotion of doing it all. You know you always have to be in character right?" She laughed a bit trying to hide the nervousness of it all.

"You do. I guess you learn that when you are a McMahon. Something that is ingrained into you or something that like." He laughed back finally seeming to break the ice with her.

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad she thought. She could get through this. Besides he seems like a decent guy. Not anything like what she had heard backstage.

"Yeah. You're right." She laughed genuinely for the first time since she found out about this. "You are definitely right." She was about to say something else when Hunter's girlfriend Joanie came walking about the corner. She looked impatient and seemed as though she wasn't that happy. Hunter saw the look in her eyes and nodded to her knowing what she was thinking.

"She probably had a bad day or something. I will see you around." He smiled a bit. "And for the record you look beautiful in that dress." He waved as he walked over to meet Joanie and they walked away.

She sighed a bit stepping out of the shoes that were on her feet glad that this entire day was over. Now onto the next days of this storyline. She climbed into the car and headed back to the hotel.


	2. It started out with a kiss

Chapter 3- It started out with a kiss:

The storyline progressed just as it was supposed to. She wasn't exactly sure why she was having such a hard time adjusting to it but with each passing day she seems to get more comfortable with all of it. Granted she still had her reservations but it wasn't that bad. It was only a few days a week that she had to pretend that she was miserable in a marriage that she never wanted in the first place. That was until her father came to her with the storyline that sent her nerves shaking. "_Stephanie most married couples kiss. And yes I know that you guys aren't supposed to be happy and in love like most married couple but this is going to work. Hunter is just going to pretty much force a kiss on you, a kiss that will take place after a fight or you telling him you want a divorce. That will draw the storyline out, advance it and in the end kind of tie everything together. Stephanie, you know how this business is. It's all about advancing things. I talked to Paul and he is fine with it. It will be just one kiss. No more. No less. They always say it starts out with a kiss._" She remembered him saying that, pushing the issue until she finally agreed. It was one thing to pretend you were married to someone but kissing them, especially when they were involved in a relationship, that was a whole other story. It was just acting and she knew it but deep down inside those butterflies started hitting again. This wasn't going to be a simple kiss, a kiss that could have easily been explained. It wasn't going to be one of those quick pecks and its over; it was going to be something so much more. Even though it should not have affected her the way that it was, it did. She knew that they were acting but still deep down inside she knew he was with someone and it just didn't seem right to her. She sighed to herself as she wished she never said yes to this entire thing in the first place. All the progress of being okay with the storyline, with the simple word kiss, went right down the drain.

Standing backstage she paced a bit, bit her nails and slowly ran though the lines in her head. It was a just a storyline and pretty soon it would be over. Actually her father had no idea where he was going with this entire thing. There was going to be a match at some point and time but he had yet to work out all the details. That was the thing with her father. He always made plans but never solidified then before they were started. Her heart was racing as she made her way down to the ring. Her heart was beating faster than she even imagined it could. She was never like this in front of the fans and she couldn't really explain it. She got in the ring and said her spiel. His music played and there he was on the stage with roses. She couldn't help but smile even though she made sure the fans weren't looking. It wasn't right for her to smile, she wasn't happy about it and it was the last thing that she wanted to portray. But there was just something about him as he carried those flowers and got into that ring, something that she never saw before. As he gave her the flowers she threw them into the audience. Her hands were shaking a bit when she he walked around her looking her over. It was almost time and she was not sure what she was going to do. "This one little kiss wasn't going to change the world. It's just one little kiss, a simple kiss between actors." It was swirling in her thought throughout her head as he bowed her over and kissed her deeply.

She made her way back to the back her hands shaking. She was scared this was going to happen. For the first time since she was told she was going to be in a storyline with him she realized why she was having a hard time with this. She kissed him back, something that was not supposed to be done. She let herself give into the kiss and got caught up in the moment. She liked it and all those feelings that she was trying to push aside for him came flooding back with that one kiss. She couldn't believe that she let herself get caught up in it. She took a deep breath and sighed softly as she saw him standing there.

"Good Show tonight. I am pretty sure we accomplished what we set out to do with this thing. Hopefully the fans are enjoying it. It seems like they are." He laughed a little. He was tongued and wasn't really sure why.

"We will be at the Parkland bar and grill. in about an hour or so." Hunter said as she walked away. He couldn't help but watch her. There was something about her. Something that was so different from Joanie. He couldn't pin point it yet but there was something. He was going to do whatever it took to find out what that was. "It started all with a kiss." He spoke softly as he ran his fingers over his lips.

"Huh?" She questioned her mind drifting off a bit. "Oh yeah sorry. We did. Yeah. Good show." She smiled softly not seeming to find any of the words that she needed to at the right time..

"You okay there Stephanie?" He watched her a bit and noticed how much her facial expressions had changed. He was starting to worry about how much this might be actually taking a toll on her. His hand brushed across her face moving a piece of hair from in front of her eyes.

"I'm fine just a little tired." She jumped back a bit mainly from the touch and simply nodded. "I should probably get back." She continued speaking softly.

"Look there is a few of us getting together, maybe some food, maybe a bar. I am not real sure yet. I figured since we really don't know each other all that well maybe you might want to come along. Just to talk and stuff seeing that we are in this storyline together. It might make things a little bit easier..." He wasn't sure why he was inviting her but his need to know her better was something that was starting to get the best of him.

"I'm not sure. I am really tired and I have an early flight in the morning." Stephanie answered. "Umm maybe, we will see what happens." She answered honestly.


	3. Chapter 3

Stephanie walked into the bar looking around. What was she doing here? Last thing she knew she was laying on the bed, thoughts running through her head and now she was walking in this place looking for him. She had changed her mind a million times in the walk there and even turned around a few times. She scanned the building and with no sign of him or anyone else that she knew she turned to walk out.

"Hey McMahon." A voice called out. "Come on over."

Hunter was standing there with a group of people and was walking over to greet her. "I'm glad you came." He smiled at her. "We were just about to order some drinks."

She nodded a bit walking over with him. She rubbed his hands together trying to form some kind of words out of her mouth. She was nervous and scared and had no idea why. It wasn't like it was just her and him there. His girlfriend was there too. She took another deep breath and reiterated that statement in her head. "He has a girlfriend Stephanie. A girlfriend that he is planning on marrying soon. You can't be thinking. like this. You need to push these feelings aside and focus on not feeling like that." She thought to herself. "I can't stay to long, I just figured that I would come down here and say hello. I didn't want to be rude or anything."

"That's fine, come and have one drink with us." He smiled as he walked over to the table with her. "What would you like?"

Seeing that she really didn't drink that much and knew that if she drank it might lead to unwanted confessions her choice was really simple. "Just a soda." She spoke softly grabbing the money out of her wallet.

"Since I was the one that invited you here let me pick up the tab." He said as he placed his hand on hers. "Really it's cool."

A shiver went down her spine. It was just the way the simplest touch from him made her feel. It took everything in her power to hide that feeling. She took a deep breath and looked around. "So this place is nice." She spoke softly trying to make some small talk.

"Yea we try to find the closest bar, just to give us some down time." He looked around as Joanie protectively wrapped her arms around him. "So now you can just relax and join us." He nodded as the bartender came over handing her the drink. She couldn't help but glance over at Joanie who was seemingly giving her a dirty look. Could she tell what was going on in Stephanie's head. She quickly finished up the drink. " I should actually get back to the hotel. It's late and I am rather tired. Thank you for inviting me. " She spoke as she tried to excuse herself.

"Well sorry you couldn't stay longer Stephanie." Joanie choked out.

"Yeah. I guess I will see you at work." Hunter watched her as she nodded and walked out of the bar.

Stephanie finally made her way back to her room and onto the bed. Taking out a notebook she started to write.

"Feelings, this mass confusion of thinking that there is maybe something there when deep down inside. I have no idea what is going on with me, but there is something about him. Something that I just can't shake. Being around him it's like thing I have ever felt. What am I thinking? He is getting married soon and this is all a storyline. A storyline that will be over in a blink of an eye. I need to stop thinking about all of this. Thinking that there will ever be something more."

Stephanie wiped the tears away from her eyes and laid back on the bed finally falling asleep.

Stephanie woke up; her eyes still tear stained and red from crying. She felt like she had been sleeping for hours but in all honestly it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Her heart was seemingly breaking and she wasn't exactly sure why. She did but seemed to be having a hard time finally admitting it to herself. She couldn't feel this way. She wasn't going to allow herself to feel this way. Not now. Not ever. She wiped her eyes slowly looking over at the clock, her breath becoming a bit shallow. "I think I might be in love with him." She couldn't believe she finally spoke those words out loud. She was scared but saying it seemed to make it easier.

Her eyes moved over to the clock, reading a simple 12:37. She picked up the phone knowing that either he was at the office or in bed. She sighed as the machine came on. Hi Dad, it's Stephanie. We need to talk." She groused hoping that he didn't hear the truth in her voice. "We need to talk about this storyline with Hunter and me. I don't think that it is going to work. The timing is off and I don't think that things are going to fall into place the way that they should. Just give me a call when you get this. Whatever time it is. I think that this is something that we really need to talk about. Thanks Dad." She placed the phone on the stand and laid back sighing softly. If she didn't get her father to back out on this then she didn't know what was going to happen. She knew that she couldn't let her feelings get in the way or work, nor was she sure the feelings even existed, but just being with him. It was like nothing she could explain. She sighed and looked over at the clock once more. "12:44." She spoke out softly. He was probably in bed, no use waiting up all night for him. The call would come tomorrow morning and she would explain her position, maybe after a few bats of the eyes it would work. She had to remain confident in that fact.

She slowly laid her head down on the pillow when she heard a knock on the door. Maybe Vince decided that doing it in person was better than talking over the phone. She got up from the bed and made her way to the door, pulling it open. "Dad." She stopped dead in her tracks looking at the man before her. It was definitely not her father. "Hunter what are you doing here?" She pulled her robe around her tighter.

He looked at her for a minute just taking in the beauty of her. "You looked like you were upset. I wanted to make sure that everything was okay and that nothing was wrong." He shifted on his feet. "So are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was just a little tired. Nothing to worry about at all." She watched him for a minute.

"Alright, I thought maybe Joanie's mixed signs made you leave. You have to excuse her. She seems to think everyone who is anyone wants to be with me." He laughed a bit. "You know the typical jealous girlfriend thing." He shrugs. "I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay."

"Everything is fine." She couldn't help but smile at his kindness. "Thank you for checking on my though. I appreciate it."

"Anything for you Steph." He smiled a bit. "If you need anything just give me a call." He smiled as they parted way and she shut the door.

"Anything for you Steph." She gushed like a schoolgirl as she laid on the bed. Maybe she could do this, it would just take a little bit of work. She smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

A few weeks went past and the storyline seemingly progressed. Stephanie turned on her father, at Armageddon, and claimed to the world that she was in love with Triple H and their marriage was legitimate. She got more comfortable with it each step of the way and the feelings that she so longed to hide were becoming more developed, more defined. It was something more than a simple schoolgirl crush, something that she wanted to be even more. . The connection between her and Hunter was there but she wasn't sure how he felt about her. They had no problem acting like they were in love when the cameras were rolling, even Hunter's girlfriend could attest to that, and most of the time that spilled over after the show. They hung out together, they spent time together, they rehearsed kisses, but still he never came out and told her what he felt. Maybe it was because he was simply acting and it didn't mean anything to him.

Sitting back on the bed Steph went over the scripts for that night, her mind trying to focus on something other than what she was thinking. There was so much work that she needed to catch up on, so much that she needed to take care of. And that was going to be the saving grace of her thoughts. For that point and time she was just going to focus on her work. She put on her glasses and penned through some things that needed changing there was a knock on the door. She got up and smiled when she seen who was at the door. "Hi there. What brings you here so late at night?" She stepped back letting them come in.

"Hey there Steph." He shifted from one foot to another almost as though he was nervous. "How's it going?"

She could sense something was going on. "Fine." She looked at him for a minute. "Hunter what's wrong?"

He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, a folded up letter of sorts. "Joanie found this in my stuff. I didn't know it was there. I mean I did. I knew it was there. I mean I read it before... but I didn't know that she was going to go through my stuff and find it. I put it under my clothes. I'm not sure how she found it." He looked at her. "She said that she knew there was something more going on then we were letting on. She said that she felt it for a while, every time we kiss, every time I would hold you in my arms. When she read this letter she realized that what she believed in her heart, what she wishes for it not to be true, was. She decided that it was time to let go so she left me. She broke up with me, walked out and is never coming back."

"A letter, Hunter what are you talking about?" Stephanie looked at him not sure what he was talking about until he handed it to her. Her face paled instantly, as if she had seen a ghost. Everything that she wanted to confess to him was on that letter. She had written it and thought she had throw it away but somehow it managed to end up with his stuff. Somehow his girlfriend read it. "Hunter. I am so sorry. I never... I never meant for that to get out. I never meant for you to read that. I'm umm I'm not sure how you even got it." She bit her lip a single tear coming from her eye as she looked down at the letter.

"Steph, don't cry." He looked at her. "I'm not mad. I'm just not really sure what happened." He looked at her, his finger moving over her cheek to wipe the tear. "I am not mad at you. I know you didn't mean for me to read it but I thought we were friends, I don't understand why you couldn't tell me."

"Oh yeah Hunter I am just going come out and tell you all this stuff that I have been feeling. You would have looked at me like I was nuts. You would have... it would have changed things in our friendship. And working with you that is not something that I wanted to happen." She looked at him slowly and sighed. "How about we just pretend that I never wrote and you never read it? That it never existed."

"Pretend that is never happened. Stephanie I can. That letter." He looked at her. "You know we can't pretend that it didn't exist. It changes everything." He watched her.

"No Hunter. No. It doesn't have to. I never meant for you to see that. I mean why? We can pretend. We could. I can just take the letter and burn it. We can forget all about this, go on with our lives as if it never was seen. Please Hunter?"

He shook his head. His blood was starting to boil and truthfully he was not sure why he was mad. How could she think that he would just turn his back on something like that? The things she wrote in that letter meant something to her. It meant something to him as well. Did she think so little of him that she just thought he could close his eyes to what she had to say? Every word. "No Stephanie. I'm not going to just let it go. I am not going to drop it and I am sure as hell not to pretend it didn't happen."

"You can tell her it was a mistake; you can tell Joanie that I was just using it as something for our script. You know getting into character." She started rambling on. "Tell her that you love her, that you need her. Hunter I will tell her, whatever you need to me. I will tell her I will get you back together. I swear. "She started looking through things.

He looked at her and sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Yes it does Paul." She started to cry, that being the first time that she had called him Paul since this entire storyline started. "You love her. You need to be together. I will go to my dad and tell him to end it. Please, I don't want you hurt. Please just go back to her..."

"Stephanie stop." He watched her. "I don't want to."

Her eyes got big, "Why not Hunter? You guys are getting married. You love each other. You can't do this. You can't stop... If she knows the truth then she won't be hurt, she will understand and she will take you back. Hunter you love her and that is the most importa..."

He stopped her rambling. "I can't Stephanie. I can't go back to her because I love you." He pulled her into a kiss.


End file.
